


The Wisdom Of Deserts

by opemjamjar



Series: Vishnu Basement Rocks Foundational Love [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Anxious Victor Nikiforov, Communication, Don’t copy to another site, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, Wedding anxiety, grand canyon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-04-11 17:25:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19114336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opemjamjar/pseuds/opemjamjar
Summary: There are things you think you know about yourself. Things that you hold close to your heart until your mettle is tested. Viktor Nikiforov had one such held belief: that he wasnotan impulsive man.In his defense, he really had never seen the Grand Canyon in his life.This is the short tale of a man who realises that running towards love tends to yield better results than running away. Even when he does run away, he is forgiven. After all, his fiancé is Katsuki Yuuri, the one who understands anxiety like a bedfellow.





	The Wisdom Of Deserts

**Author's Note:**

> One fine day, 1st April, they created a ‘live writing’ channel on the WWV server and I got inspired by ‘The Wisdom Of Deserts’ by The School Of Life to break in the channel and wrote this in one go. I thought, it’s got to be something with the two of them and the Grand Canyon. It started out as a crack concept, that when I started writing, turned into h/c. I decided to take the cheesiness and melodrama of it very earnestly.
> 
> Finally got round to editing and posting it. I am grateful to the ever lovely folks on the server who reacted as I was writing along and provided encouragement and validation. It was a wild morning, and it was so much fun.
> 
>  **Recommended listening:** _Mass in B Minor, Agnus Dei: 24, Dona nobis pacem by our dear lad J.S. Bach_

There are things you think you know about yourself. Things that you hold close to your heart until your mettle is tested. Viktor Nikiforov had one such held belief: that he was _not_ an impulsive man. He was careful and clever, and calculated his every move with acute awareness of an eternal imaginary audience in his head. 

Honestly, he should have known better. I mean, you'd think a man would learn the first time he ended up on a plane taking him thousands of miles away from home, from the cold streets of St Petersburg to the sickly sweet summers of Hasetsu. 

In his defense, he really had never seen the Grand Canyon in his life. 

And what an absolutely fantastic view it was. The sublime force of nature washed over him in waves. At least, he decided it was the sublime force of nature and not the anxiety that followed him a loyal travelling companion from one airport to another, all the way to Flagstaff until he absolutely had to stop for water and sustenance. 

He wrung his wrists and shook his hands. The sight before him went on like a panorama, a magnificent glory to behold. The earthy browns and reds were a stark contrast to the colour palette of his life- the various aquamarine blues of the ice and the bright whites of the lights that haloed him wherever he went. 

It moved something deep within his core and he felt his breathing becoming as unsteady as the heights made him feel. Although, the last time he had done this, he had been heading _towards_ the man that had changed his life forever. This time, the contrast was as stark as the land and sky, and the emptiness as vast as the dip of the canyon. 

He should really call right about now. Yes, that would be a good idea. 

Viktor was an impulsive man, he decided, yes. That much was true. But at least he had the foresight to acquire some sort of sim card at the airport. He tapped into the little device the number he knew by heart, the number he could recite in his sleep by now. 

It went into voicemail. 

How anticlimactic. He tried again. And twice more for good measure. And maybe one more time just to be- 

'Hullo?' A very annoyed sounding voice manifested. Music to his ears- 

'Yuuri,' Viktor said cheerfully, though he was not smiling. 

'Viktor?? What- what number is this? It says it's a US number but that can’t be right. I thought you were some spam caller that just _would not_ give up, I was in the middle of-' 

'Yes, sorry about that. Have a good day.' What. 'No, I mean, I hope you're having a good day. Sorry, what time is it?' 

There was a pause. Viktor was keenly aware of his palms becoming a little clammy and it might not just have been the weather here. 

'Viktor, are you alright?' Yuuri asked, concern and confusion both lacing his tone. 

'Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm great. I'm fine. It's a great view out here, I think you'd like it.' 

'I- what. Where are you? Took a drive out?' 

'Uh. Something like that.' 

'Yes?' 

'They said the Grand Canyon's great this time of year. The north rim. Something about a donkey trail. Say, you and I haven't gone hiking together yet right? We really should, I think some quality time together amidst the glory of nature-' Viktor's voice sounded a little high pitched and strained to his own ears but he ploughed on. '-and the drive up here wasn't half bad either, though if I was going to this side of the rim I should've-' 

'Please tell me you're joking.' 

'You'll be in St Petersburg in a few days, do you know how happy that makes me,' Viktor said, earnestly. 'I haven't lived with anyone but Makka for so many years, it feels so surreal.' 

'Yes, and you're in _Arizona_??' 

Yuuri had a very valid point. Ah, sweet, rational Yuuri with his very valid points. 

'Hey, you studied in the US, you said, I'm guessing you've probably already seen everything-' 

'That was in Detroit, Viktor, it's a big country.' Alright this one was a hard one. Viktor was having just a smidge of difficulty telling if Yuuri was just sharp from the shock of the news, or if he was mad at Viktor. Viktor's surprises were not usually the unpleasant sort. 

'Ah,' Viktor said simply, cringing at his asinine passes at casual conversation. 

Yuuri said nothing either for a moment. 

'I. Look, Yuuri I can explain-' 

'Viktor, are you alright?' Yuuri asked again. His Yuuri, his darling, ever so astute. Though Viktor's voice cracking on those last couple of words may or may not have been the definition of subtle. 

'I miss you.' 

'I've missed you too,' Yuuri said, without missing a beat. Then- 'Wait, who did you leave-' 

'Texted Yura to take care of Makka for a bit.' 

'Right. But Viktor-' 

'I'm sorry, Yuuri. Truly I am. I have never been this afraid in my life.' 

'Viktor. Is this what I think this is about-' 

'Please don't misunderstand, you're the best thing to have ever happened to me.' Must be the dryness and all that dust, it was getting into his eyes. 

'Should I still carry on with the move, or would you be more comfortable with-' 

'No! No, no, I mean, yes. Please. You have to still come. That's not it.' 

'Viktor. If you're not ready for-' 

'You can't think I don't love you.' 

'I don't think that.' 

'Good, because I love you.' 

'I love you too, but that said- it doesn't have to be end of the month.' 

Viktor learnt another fact about himself that day. That it was possible that he could stand before one of the greatest wonders the natural world had to offer, and not cry until the melody of his fiancé's voice came together in a crescendo to audaciously _suggest_ that Viktor might even have a modicum of a doubt about getting married a month after Yuuri would move in. 

'You can't seriously mean that,' Viktor whispered, half choking. 

'Viktor-' 

'It feels like Barcelona all over again!' Viktor wailed. A few straggly tourists, (thankfully some distance away), may have looked over at Viktor at that outburst. 

'It's _not_ the same, Viktor-' 

'I'm afraid, Yuuri,' he interrupted. 'I'm afraid when you finally get here, you're going to not want me anymore. You're going to change your mind.' 

_Please tell me I'm wrong,_ Viktor thought. Viktor waited. _Say anything at all, damnit!_

It was what definitely sounded like muffled laughter that broke through the low-whistling winds that carried the dust into the infinity before him. 

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry I know I shouldn't-' 

Viktor rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently, stomping one foot. 'Yuuri, I know it's just some silly anxiety, but I can't believe _you_ of all people would laugh at-' 

'Viktor, viktor, it's not just some silly anxiety,' Viktor could hear Yuuri's smile in the tinny phone-voice. 'Do you trust me?' 

'...yes.' 

Yuuri took a slow and deep breath. 'Then you need to know that I would never want to leave you. I'm sorry this isn't poetic-sounding or anything grand like that, but sometimes the truth sounds like that. It sounds like a long-distance phone call between two very anxious men. It sounds like this: there is no one else I would rather spend the rest of my life with. I'm sorry for laughing. It was just the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard in my life.' 

'....not "Starting today, I'm going to be your coach, Yuuri"?' 

'Second most,' Yuuri deadpanned. Viktor chuckled at that, still rubbing at his eyes. 'I've told you my simple truth, Viktor. What's yours?' 

'I don't think I'm ready for this.' 

Yuuri hummed in response. 'That's okay.' 

'You're not mad, then.' 

'Only that you went to the Grand Canyon without me.' This made Viktor laugh. 

'There's the sound I love,' Yuuri cooed from the other end of the line. 

'Yuuri, it's not never, just not right now.' 

'Oh, I know. Didn't doubt _that_ , not really. We can wait as long as you need.' 

'I'm angry because I don't know _why_.' 

'Sometimes there is no why. I would know,' And here, Yuuri sounded so absolutely done with himself. 

Viktor mentally added to the list, the things he was learning about himself. That somewhere between his idea of himself and the truth, there might have been a chasm. 

'It's not never,' Viktor repeated. 

'Hey, we do it Victorian style. Years of fiancé-ship and a wedding somewhere in the picture a year from now or something. We've already got the rings, Viktor.' 

Viktor found his breathing returning to something resembling normal again. 'Could I ask you a favour.' 

'Anything.' 

Some days had to pass after that phone call, because it was only realistic, you know, logistics and all. But Viktor found that it was worth the wait. Because sometimes the view from the top is better with someone by your side. 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Flagstaff is a town on the side of and 2 hours away from the south rim so Viktor went to the south and drove the very long and unnecessary way round to the north rim (roughly 4 hours driving from one rim to the other). 
> 
> 2\. I doubt network connection at the grand canyon is that wonderful. Cue artistic licence, for the sake of drama.
> 
> 3\. Thank you for stopping by, human. Hope you enjoyed the story.
> 
> 4\. No one knows the exact age of the Grand Canyon.


End file.
